The new NS timetable? The older lady on the intercity at Zwolle station has no opinion about that. “I have been taking the train again for a long time.” She always took the car from Zandvoort to her sister in Beilen, between Hoogeveen and Assen. “But that is no longer possible. I’m 93.”
Sitting on a folding chair on the balcony, she tries to call travel information. The intercity to Groningen has been stationary in Zwolle for some time. “The announcements are so soft, I can’t understand what’s going on.”
The rear train carriage of the intercity appears to be defective. All travelers must transfer to the front part. It is overcrowded, the 93-year-old woman can just about find a seat.
Other travelers in Zwolle also have few complaints specifically about the new timetable. It was not just NS that introduced a new timetable on December 15. All public transport companies throughout Europe created a new timetable.
In Zwolle you have to wait a little longer for the sprinter to Emmen, someone says. The connection to the bus to Hardenberg could be better, says another. On the intercity from Zwolle to Schiphol, many travelers with suitcases are hoping for a smooth start to the Christmas holidays. As long as they are on time to check in.
For example, it is mainly the well-known problems on the railways – broken trains, delays – that worry travelers in Zwolle. The conclusion after a week of driving according to the new timetable: the new NS timetable does not eliminate the old problems.
Maintenance
The biggest problem: maintenance. More work than ever needs to be done on the railway in the coming years. Next year, ProRail will spend an estimated 30 percent more money on repairs, maintenance and renewal.
You will notice this in the new timetable. For example, there are no extra trains going to Germany: work is underway on the track near the border near Zevenaar.
You can also see it in the way NS has structured the new timetable. In the previous major revision in 2017, Zwolle was the starting point. Here many lines from all directions converge.
When the puzzle was completed in Zwolle, the rest of the Netherlands followed. This time, however, Amsterdam Central was the starting point. The junction is undergoing such a large-scale renovation – ready around 2030 – that NS planners had to come up with a number of tricks.
For example, the Intercity Direct (ICD) from Rotterdam no longer runs to Amsterdam Central Station via the high-speed line. The ICD arrives in South, at the WTC. However, there is no room to turn around or to stand for a long time on the way back, so the ICD continues to Lelystad or Amersfoort.
Biggest pain point
Freek Bos of travelers association Rover calls the high-speed line “the major pain point in the new timetable”. The HSL between Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam and Breda has been the weakest link of the railways for years. “Furthermore, the problems with the new timetable are relatively minor,” says Bos. On the HSL, trains are only allowed to travel at an adjusted speed (120 km/h, not 200 or 300 km/h) due to construction defects on viaducts.
This year, only 68.4 percent of HSL journeys arrived on time, NS reported on Friday. The agreement with the government is that 82.1 percent of HSL journeys are on time (less than 5 minutes delay). In 2023 it was 73.6 percent. The average for all trains (intercity, sprinters, hsl) this year is 88.9 percent. That is just within the agreements.
With the new timetable, NS has mainly tried to get more trains on the track: 1,600 per week, more than 6 percent more than in peak year 2019. For example, there are more trains running like a metro: every 10 minutes (to Schiphol and around Rotterdam).
The latter sprinters reflect the future vision of NS and ProRail: in the Netherlands we use the train as a metro, for a quick ride to work, study or appointment. And not as a long journey, with something like the Orient Express. That is why most NS trains lack facilities for eating or sleeping.
No staff shortage
Not so long ago, NS complained about shortages of personnel and equipment. So how can it run more trains? “We currently have no staff shortages,” says an NS spokesperson. “There are enough people to drive the timetable. But things will be difficult for the future due to the tight labor market. This applies to drivers, conductors and mechanics.”
Relatively many NS employees will retire in the coming years, he says. “An aging workforce versus a tight labor market – this is something many companies are dealing with.”
NS does not yet have enough new trains. This mainly concerns the Intercity New Generation. The ICNG is still being delivered slower than expected. Instead, NS must continue to rent older equipment. And those old trains are much more sensitive to malfunctions – as the 93-year-old lady at Zwolle station and her fellow travelers, who were on their way north, noticed on Friday.